It’s been a long summer; that much is true. And it’s been turbulent. There was the “hearts wide open” vow, followed by #feelingbadinmaine. My life since July 15 has been different and I’ve been selective in sharing the bumps and scratches of those 48 days. It’s been a period of “self-discovery” as much as such a thing is possible at 55 years of age.

Just so you know, The Moxie Festival was a success and I am grateful for all the prayers said on my behalf. Thank you. Prayer works. It really does. It won’t bring our loved ones back from the dead, but I believe that God exists outside of time so anything is possible when we ask Him to assist us.

I also received tremendous physical and emotional support from more friends than I can list here. One special loving friend kept me sane by forcing me to put Moxie aside from time to time. He made hearty meals for me and encouraged me to sit by the fire and enjoy the peace of a late summer evening.

I still use the hashtag #feelingbadinmaine, but now I preface it with the words “I am not.”

Are you on Instagram? If you are, please follow me. I am “duchessofmoxie.” My new Instagram focus is the hashtag #showmesomethingbeautiful. I chose it after listening to a talented musician and songwriter named Trombone Shorty, born Troy Andrews in New Orleans. He plays a variety of instruments, including the trombone and the trumpet; his music is fun and alive, as well as an homage to the New Orleans Jazz tradition.

Trombone Shorty performed at Thompson’s Point in Portland on Friday night and I was not #feelingbadinmaine and happily danced to the music for 2 hours. He did not perform his song “Show Me Something Beautiful.” You can listen to it here.

“When the push comes to shove, when the world is hiding love…when the world has grown dull, can you show me something beautiful.”

There has been a sea shift in my energy and my thoughts and in addition to living with my heart wide open, I want to find more “something beautiful” every day. That is a paradigm shift, especially living in a time when hate and ugliness is everywhere and we are only paying superficial lip service to “something beautiful.”

This is my friend Andrea and her boyfriend, Jeff. They invited me to the beach yesterday and I figured this was what I was meant to do on the last beautiful day of August.

They have this groovy beach wagon that holds all their gear. It has tires that can navigate any grain of sand.

Andrea and Jeff are in love. They’re getting married next year. It was pleasant and relaxing to spend time with them and observe their kindness to each other. They showed me something beautiful.

I will have an interesting announcement in my next blog post, whenever that happens. No, I’m not going to stop blogging! But you will be surprised by my latest “reveal.”